Soft tissue sarcoma in children
Key facts
- Soft tissue sarcomas are cancerous tumours that grow in the soft tissues of the body.
- There are more than 70 types of soft tissue sarcoma, and each one is different.
- If your child has a soft tissue sarcoma, they will be looked after by a team of health professionals, known as a multidisciplinary team.
What is a soft tissue sarcoma?
Soft tissue sarcomas are cancerous tumours that grow in the soft tissues of your body. This may be in the muscles, fat, cartilage, nerves, tendons, lining of the joints or the blood vessels.
Soft tissue sarcomas can grow almost anywhere in your body. Sarcomas are rare, but they are one of the most common cancers in children.
Watch this video from Cancer Australia about what it can be like to have cancer as a child.
What are the types of soft tissue sarcoma?
There are more than 70 types of soft tissue sarcoma, and each one is different.
Some types of soft tissue sarcoma that can affect children are:
- liposarcoma, which grows from fat cells
- rhabdomyosarcoma, which grows from muscle cells
- synovial sarcoma, which grows near a joint, such as the elbow or knee
- leiomyosarcoma, which grows from smooth muscle cells
- tumours that grow in the fibrous connective tissue, such as desmoid tumours and fibrosarcomas
What are the symptoms of soft tissue sarcoma?
The symptoms of soft tissue sarcoma depend on where the tumour is located. The main symptom is a painless lump or swelling under the skin.
If the tumour is pressing on nerves, organs or blood vessels, there may be pain or weakness in part of the body.
Remember that a lump or swelling under the skin is usually not a soft tissue sarcoma — this cancer is very rare.
CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.
What causes soft tissue sarcomas in children?
Experts don't know why some children develop soft tissue sarcoma.
It's more common in children who:
- have been exposed to radiation
- were born with certain genetic conditions (including neurofibromatosis type 1)
- have HIV at the same time as the Epstein-Barr virus (which causes glandular fever)
How is a soft tissue sarcoma diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask about your child's symptoms and examine them.
There are different tests to diagnose soft tissue sarcoma. Scans are usually done first, including:
A biopsy to remove a small piece of the tumour for testing under a microscope is needed for diagnosis. This will help your doctors to work out:
- whether it is a sarcoma
- what sort of soft tissue sarcoma it is
- the best way to treat it
ASK YOUR DOCTOR — Preparing for an appointment? Use the Question Builder for general tips on what to ask your GP or specialist.
How is a soft tissue sarcoma treated?
If your child has a soft tissue sarcoma, they will be looked after by a team of health professionals, known as a multidisciplinary team.
Your child might see specialists such as a:
- paediatric oncologist (doctor who specialises in treating children's cancer)
- medical oncologist (doctor who specialises in medicines used to treat cancer)
- radiation oncologist (doctor who specialises in using radiotherapy to treat cancer)
- surgeon
- nurses
- social workers
- rehabilitation therapists
- psychologist
The best treatment for your child will depend on:
- the type of tumour
- where it is
- how quickly it is growing
- how your child reacts to the treatment
Most children will have a combination of treatments. Options can include:
- Surgery — to remove all or part of the tumour.
- Chemotherapy — anti-cancer medicines are used to destroy the cancer cells.
- Radiotherapy — high-energy x-rays are used to destroy cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy — medicines target the cancer cells, and have fewer side effects than chemotherapy.
- Immunotherapy — this treatment uses the immune system to fight cancer.
- Other medicines — some children are given hormone therapy, corticosteroids or non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help treat soft tissue sarcomas.
Close monitoring may be recommended for some children.
For more information on coping with a cancer diagnosis in childhood, see:
FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.
Resources and support
- The Cancer Council has information and support for people with cancer. Call 13 11 20.
- Rare Cancers Australia has information about soft tissue sarcoma and patient support. Call 1800 257 600.
- The Children's Cancer Foundation provides family support and information about the latest treatments.
- Cancer Australia has links to support organisations for children with cancer and their families. It can also help you find clinical trials that your child could participate in, plus a list of children's hospitals in Australia.
Diverse languages and cultures
Cancer Council has cancer resources for patients and carers including:
- multilingual resources
- information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
- interpreter services
Canteen and Camp Quality
- Canteen helps young people and their parents to deal with cancer. Call 1800 835 932. They also have a guide for young cancer patients translated into languages other than English.
- Canteen's and Camp Quality's online community, Parenting through cancer, provides free expert advice, counselling and a chance to connect with other parents in similar situations.
- Camp Quality's Kids' Guide to Cancer app provides age-appropriate cancer education for kids up to 15 years old.
You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Last reviewed: December 2023
